The BJFE/Bearfoot Arctic White Fuzz is YAFF but certainly has been souped up and sounds great to me. I'm sure it will be as popular as Bjorn's other effects. Thanks to Matt for the schematic.
Info about the original:
Another favorite from the BJFe research program .... The Arctic White fuzz purrrs like a snow leopard at lower levels and attacks with full vintage growl when pushed ...... this is the most straight forward of the BearFoot fuzzes .... vintage in sound and feel with its own voice and personality.... and its a great recording fuzz as Bjorn wiped out the backround noise found in most fuzzes... 8-18v ... Volume Level - Fuzz Level and Tone control with just the right amount of treble control to match the Arctic to your little piece of the tundra .....and your Honey Bees new best friend.
Mark, this is fantastic... I was just watching that Prymaxe demo yesterday and was headed over here to check if there was a layout for it! Good to see you back in the saddle - hope your holiday was a blast...
ReplyDeleteYes it was thanks Todd, shame it didn't last longer but can't have everything :o)
DeleteNIced you enjoyed my country once again, Mark. Will have to build this board, but I have no J113, just J112... will have to order some.
ReplyDeleteBR
I certainly did mate, and I'm back again next month :o)
DeleteThe J112 may well work fine in this, it's just a J113 with a wider Vgs-off range and slightly higher Idss
Welcome back whenever you want mate :)
DeleteAs I told on John's comment, when I took my J112 bag, it was empty, don't know where did I use those trannies, as they were bought some years ago to make some practises of switching circuits but with J201 sounds really good too. I'll order some J113s as they're cheap on eBay.
BR
Love the sound of this one! Next to the Tonebender MKII this may be a fav! Would a J201 be a suitable substitute for the J113?
ReplyDeletePossibly, and definitely worth a try. I'd probably socket the 9K1 resistor though so you can tweak the bias.
DeleteMark, Thanks for that. I socketed the 9K1 resistor and because I had no J113 used a J201 and brought the 9K1 resistor down to 5.1K for the time being. It's worth biasing this to get what you like if you do not have a J113 handy. Much Appreciated.
DeleteOn suggestion 4.5 Voltage at Drain on Q2(I am using J201 until the J113 arrive.) I modified the resistor to 7K5 and am Happy with the result. Be interesting to compare this and a J113 with 9K1 resistor. Thanks.
DeleteJFET Fuzz Face? I'm going to have to try this!
ReplyDeleteI just finished building it and it sounds great, so you can tag it as verified.
ReplyDeleteSure :) I used a J201 (didn't want to twist pins and my J112 bag was empty :) ) and souns very good, so I suppose than with the J113 will be really great. Did you use a J113, John?
DeleteBR
Excellent, thanks guys!
Deleteyep. I used a J113.
DeleteWow! That really does sound good!
ReplyDeleteI'm ordering the parts right now!
Thanks for doing the layout Mark
Geezer
I'm sure others have already done this, but I just ordered 20 of the J113's from here for £1.95 shipped:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300496002160
Bargain at that price
These are the ones I've ordered too :P Just had to add 1,25 pounds for international post. Great price and realy low s&h
DeleteThere are just two builders that I stick 100% to their schematics: David from D*A*M and Bjorn from MP. Every f*cking single component and value they use, has a reason to be there.
DeleteBR
Yes definitely agree about Bjorn, even just having a 10 minute conversation with him about his circuits, you realise immediately that everything is done for a reason.
DeleteI used a 2n5952 and a bc548 and it sounds nice. I have found that the tone pot doesn't have much range. Kind of less bright to really bright.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right for this kind of tone control.
DeleteIs the 91k resistor supposed to be 9k1 by any chance?
ReplyDeleteNo, two 91K's with a 180K at the junction to Q2 source, and a 9K1 from Q2 drain to the supply rail.
DeleteAh, thanks. Seems I don't have the J113or the BC550C. Guess I'll try some other JFETS and transistors that I have on hand.
DeleteWow, sounds great. I am DEFINITELY going to try this. Thanks for capturing this one!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, can't my build to sound good at all. I'm using a J201. And swapped a bunch of different transistors. All sound the pretty much the same. Very low gain, and kind of dark and muddy. Not at all like the demo. Tried 2n5088, 2n5089, BC108, MPSA18, and a few others....
ReplyDeleteIn place of the J201, I also tried a 2n5457. I could barely get a sound out of it. Just some crackling if I hit the strings really hard.
Using a 25k pot in place of the 9.1k resistor.
hmmmm. I used the specified transistors (J113 and BC550C)in mine, but just for kicks I also tried a BC549C and a BC550B and a Fairchild J112. with the BC549C or the 550B, it sounded pretty much the same as the 550C, but it sounded like crap with the J112.
Deletei checked the drain voltage on the J112 with the 9.1K drain resistor and it measured 4.094V with a benchtop (lab) power supply set at 9V. i have 20 J113's in stock so i tried a few more to see if any would be closer to 4.5V but surprisingly they were extremely consistent (within a 50th of a volt!) so i socketed the the 9.1K and tried an 8.2K resistor and it's reading 4.521V now. funny thing is, it doesn't really sound much, if at all different with 4.1V or 4.5V on the drain.
mine doesn't sound muddy at all and has tons of gain (it sounds exactly like the video).
BTW, I've heard that an MPF102 can sometimes be used as a replacement for a J113 if you don't have any on hand, but i haven't tried any of my MPF102's in it.
DeleteThanks for the info John
DeleteJohn, and for anyone wondering, I tried an MPF102 just to see what would happen. It works in the circuit, electronically speaking... the pedal still has output with it. But the volume drops considerably (I'd say to about 25% of using a J201 in place of the J113) and the fuzz is not pleasing at all. Just thought I'd share.
DeleteA couple of questions...
ReplyDelete1. Is Fuzz pin 1 not used?
2. Is volume pin 3 not used?
3. If not using exact transistors, with a 9VDC input, what are the controls set at to bias the drain?? 0, 0, 0 or 10, 10, 10, or 5, 5, 5 or 0, 5, 0, etc...?
Answers to the 1st 2x questions....
ReplyDelete1) no, fuzz pin 1 is not used
2) tone 3 to volume 3 (see note at bottom of layout
G
it doesn't matter where the knobs are set to check the bias.
ReplyDeleteBuilt this up today - very, very quiet. Controls all work but seriously lacking volume. I can't find any solder tracks (run through each track with a knife and then checked by shining a torch from behind to show up any problems), have double checked values of each component and positions and have swapped out the trannies in case one was dodgy. Still the same. Here's a couple of photo's if anyone can see where I've messed up.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thelambrettas.co.uk/arctictop.jpg
http://www.thelambrettas.co.uk/arcticbottom.jpg
Cheers in advance,
Phil
List the voltages between the transistor pins and ground, that will give us a better idea where the problem lies.
DeleteThanks Mark - here we go
DeleteC - 1.86
B - 0.6
E - 0.07
D - 2.0
S - 1.99
G - 1.88
well, for one, the drain should be around 4.5 volts on the Jfet. i'd start by replacing the 9K1 with a lower value resistor to try and get it up to 1/2 of the 9V power supply voltage.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete@Philly It seems you may have two unwanted solder bridges, check out the image at the spotted points, don't forget to zoom in.
Deletehttp://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/pm7300/arcticbottom_zpsbed178bb.jpg
John
DeleteSwapped the 9.1k resistor out for a 10k trimpot and have D at 4.5v now. Volume is now better but all I get is spluttery nasty fuzz. New voltages...
C-0.2
B-0.7
E-0.1
D-4.5
S-3.6
G-0.2
Rob - what photo with circles? ;)
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/pm7300/arcticbottom_zpsbed178bb.jpg
Deleteupper left corner and 3rd row 5th hole from the right
The collector of Q1 is too low, check that row for bridges or cold joints on the collector resistor etc
DeleteBoth bridges are from the angle the photo was taken, all clear in reality :( Thanks, though.
DeleteWill re-flow the joints and see how we go.
Doh! Just noticed I only have J112, not 113!!!What a moron - correct items ordered, will report back once I swap it out :)
DeleteCorrect tranny fitted, working sweet! A very pleasant Fuzz Face - thanks for the help troubleshooting :)
Deletethis pedal has a TON of output so if yours is low, you either have a misplaced component or a solder bridge somewhere.
ReplyDeleteFET FUZZ FACE circuits: http://www.oocities.org/tpe123/folkurban/fuzz/mosfetface.gif
ReplyDeleteI told my self, no more Fuzzes, no more FUZZES... and here I am again looking at another fuzz pedal build.
ReplyDeleteI am going to order some of those J113's and give this one a go!
I suppose no need for mojo caps and resistors and I will just use whatever I have laying around
Thanks lvlark...
Quick question???
ReplyDeleteare those the correct JFETS?
they seem to be pretty cheap and I am in the USA
http://www.ebay.com/itm/22-PCS-2SJ113-TO-92-J113-P-Channel-Switch-TRANSISTORS-/300938317904?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4611525050
If the "P Channel" description is right then they're not the right ones.
DeleteOk, thank Gezzer. Yep, I forgot to mention the tone3 to volume 3 and yep if Fuzz pin 1 is not used...that was it.
ReplyDeleteOk, I built it, but with NTE parts (469 and 199). It worked on the 1st try! Yes, as someone mentioned, the gain is high and much higher than nominal, so gain should not be an issue.
Originally, the drain was at like 3.69 or 3.75, soo the 9.1k had to go and perfect bias was at 7.5k.
It sounds fine, but not perfect. The sustain is there, but not all notes and some spattering. I used pots lying around and the wrong type. I'd like to get my hands on the correct transistors and pots for a final verdiict, but it's basically there. Thanks again.
Funny enough :P I purchased today some pieces of J113 here, at a local store, as I had to go near Conectrol to do some unexpected paperwork.
ReplyDeleteSwapped the J201 which I used to build anf try this board, and now with the J113, it sounds pure shit! Pure fizzyness on all notes. I've tried th 10 pieces I purchased, and the result is the same. All get the drain biased between 4,6 - 4,9 volts.
Will have to wait for the ones I ordered on eBay finally :P
BR
These are the ones purchased today:
Deletehttps://sphotos-b-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1185061_10200959043330845_1660460926_n.jpg
I have to put in a mouser order and may order a fairchild J113, however they are .48 each
DeleteI also ordered some from ebay and they are not fairchilds but have this on them:
~230
J113
Hopefully they will work LOL
I listened to several demoes of this one and I liked the sound very much, but they were all about single coils pick ups.... can someone tell me how does it perform with humbuckers? (mine is a Dimarzio Tone Zone) Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOn the Mike Herman/Prymaxe video, he is using a strat with a humbucker in the bridge position.
DeleteStarting at the 2 minute mark
Deletehttp://youtu.be/RA4qZtY_nIo
I really like the first tune he plays with the Tele, it's grown on me. Anyone know what it is?
DeleteI don't know, but it has a very Brian May/Fat Bottom Girls feel to it to my ears....I like it, too
DeleteI worked up a layout with a Range control added, ala Red Rooster.....calling it the Arctic White Rooster
Soon to be verified (not yet) but I'm confident it is correct, having traced it thru several times against the schematic and Mark's original layout
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/jallenshaw/ArcticWhiteRooster_zps56bc78ea.gif
where did you see the schematic for it?
DeleteFSB......but I can't seem to find it there now. Wonder if they took it down(?)
DeleteFound it.....
Deletehttp://freestompboxes.org/download/file.php?id=22316&mode=view
So, 3 and a bit years later and I try Geezer's modded white fuzz circuit. :-) Having already built the Arctic White fuzz as standard and now Geezer's version I like Geezer's better. Both are great, but I love the extra wang on Geezer's. The range knob doesn't really behave like the range knob on the Red Rooster but somehow it has changed the way the fuzz sounds - in a good way! Still chunky but with better twang now - almost turns it into an overdrive rather than being a fuzz. I really like both.
DeleteHey lvlark - since this is your latest project, I hope you read my post.. I asked a question concerning the AC Booster - would you mind having a look at it..? That would be awesome!
ReplyDeletehey Mark.
ReplyDeletenoticed in the description that it has a variable voltage on the original. was there a charge pump on the original left off here?
thanks for the circuit layout. you and mirosol are monsters.
No there was no charge pump, I think they're just saying you can use an 18V supply if you want, ie he's used 25V caps minimum.
DeleteIs there any difference in sound when you use different voltage values for electrolytic caps. If I run a 9v power supply, will it make a difference in sound if I use a 50v electrolytic cap as instead of a 25v?
Deleteno. as long as they're rated at a higher voltage than what you power the pedal with, they'll all sound the same.
DeleteDONE:
ReplyDeletehttp://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/Effects/Fuzz-ODs/BJFE/AWF-01.jpg
gut shot:
http://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/Effects/Fuzz-ODs/BJFE/AWF-02.jpg
Very nice John, as always!
DeleteIt'll be a few weeks before I build mine.....gotta wait for the slow boat from Tayda for some parts (but I got my J113's today!)
Geezer
Really nice, thanks for the pics mate
DeleteDummy question: Do I have to use the LED+ output? Or can I just wire that of board as well?
ReplyDeleteNo you don't have to use the LED+ output, but if you don't you'll need a wire and resistor from the supply. Whereas using it means you can just take a single wire to the anode, which simplifies the offboard.
DeleteTNKS Mark. But this is going into a box I already used for another pedal with the LED wired offboard. Now I know I can leaf that.
DeleteI've received today the trannies from eBay, and Jesus f*cin' christ, they're J113A like the ones I puchased here!.... so... extremely fizzy sound.
ReplyDeleteLet's say, the sound is really fine, very similar to the demo one, but you get a greasy and very noticeabe fizz in every f*cking note you play.
I'll have to order Fairchild ones. I'm gettin' fed to the teeth of this trannie :P
BR
IME, the Fairchild ones are pretty fizzy too. just change the 100p ceramic cap to a 270p-330p and it'll sound great.
Deletehehehe! yeah I got 20 of those same ebay trannies as well...
DeleteI will have to try out the 270-330p cap (hat trick) as well and see what I get
:-D
Hey John, thank you very much! A 330pf did the trick.
DeleteNo difference in tone from the 100pf one, just gets rid of the fizziness :)
Thanks again. This fuzz is really sweet and powerful. Now it will get boxed in a matter of hours :)
BR
yep. I've been running a 330p in mine. it still has plenty of top end but ALL of the fizz is gone.
DeleteAnd done :) The enclosure was ready, just waiting for the correct trannie :P
Deletehttps://sphotos-b-mad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1149026_530078300397356_1126976392_n.jpg
And by the ways, the J113 biases at 4.62 with my 1 Spot (9.65volts) with the 9k1 resistor, so, had nothing to swap or adjust.
DeleteReally pretty sounding fuzz: sweet, harsh and powerful. Love to be able to use the full sweep of "Fuzz" knob in a pedal of this kind.
BR
Ha ha that looks just like it, nice job matey
DeleteFinished mine.....sounds very good, just not as gainey as the demo.
DeleteI had to lower the 9.1k to get the J113 drain to 4.5v (used a trimmer, so not sure what the actual resistance is....didn't measure it)
What should I be reading for voltage on the BC550 collector?
I used a BC550B while waiting for the 550C's to arrive, and am getting around 1v on the collector....seems low, but with the 47k off the power rail, I guess that could be right(?)
TIA, Geezer
Oh, and the Range control is very useful......turn it up for a fuller tone on single coils, and back it off for less boomy-ness with humbuckers
DeleteDid you have to use a bigger cap instead of the 100pf in order to get rid of the fizzy sounds?
DeleteI paralleled a 220p across the 100p (320p equivalent) and it smoothed out nicely. Still plenty of highs on tap.
DeleteG
By the way, I sent some lines to Terry (the eBay seller previously refered to) and he's told me that they're genuine J113's, ant that the sign following the 113 is a triangle and not an A, and even offered to send me a copy of the Siliconix label from the reel to make me sure.
DeleteSo guys, these are real J113's and have to be treated with John's trcik: replace the 100pf cap with a 330pf one. Problems solved and great tone.
P.S. My unit has tons of gain too, is a really powerful (while sweet) fuzz!
So what voltages should be present on the BC550c?? Especially the collector.....I'm only getting around a volt
DeleteG
I'm getting even lower :P About 0,7 in the collector.
DeleteBR
Well, then I guess I'm close....thx
DeleteDon't worry, tipycal voltage in Q1 of a silicon fuzz face is about 0,7volts (0.50 if germanium), and the Arctic is nothing but a redone Fuzz Face, with even Q2 collector biased at 4.5v, so I think that the 0.7v in Q1 is just correct.
DeleteBR
BTW, I just made up a vero for the BJFE Pink Purple Fuzz and built it. I think I that I like even better than the arctic white, but the arctic white is certainly no slouch.
ReplyDeleteHallo John, would you mind to share that pink purple layout? I'd really like to build this. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteSergio
H Sergio,
ReplyDeleteI posted it in the requests forum on this site last night:
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/p/forum.html
Ok, thanks a lot Joh
ReplyDeleteJust ordered some J113's and BC550C's. Looking forward to getting this thing to work. Should be at least a week.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my post will be number 94 on this thread. Is this some sort of record? Any any other layout gotten this many posts?!
Ha ha, yes there's been a few, the Deep Blue Delay is a biggy if my memory serves me right. I think this is the fastest that one has got up this high though.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm freakin pumped to build this tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteHey Guys. I'm ordering some parts for this project, but the 9,1K'S are not available, What should i use as an alternative?
ReplyDeleteOkay, finally got the correct transistors. Sounds terrible. Low gain, way below unity, farty. I've been over and over the board and don't see any issue. I have the J113 biases to 4.5v.
ReplyDeleteAny ideas?
J113
DeleteD = 4.48v
S = 1.92v
G = 2.2v
BC550C
C = 0.18v
B = 0.76v
E = 0.22v
Oops, typo. G is 0.22v
DeleteSo:
J113
D = 4.48v
S = 1.92v
G = 2.2v
BC550C
C = 0.18v
B = 0.76v
E = 0.22v
Does this seem correct?
Wow, i made the same mistake again. Yikes....
DeleteJ113
D = 4.48v
S = 1.92v
G = 0.22v
BC550C
C = 0.18v
B = 0.76v
E = 0.22v
FUZZ-1 is unused, right?
DeleteCorrect.
DeleteOk, fiinished mine too! It sounded like shit with J113, even lowering the 9K1 resistor to 7K5 to bias 4,5v on the drain was kinda farty.... Now with a J201 and the 7K5 on the drain it souns heavenly! Thank you very much for your superb layout Mark.
ReplyDeleteBTW I used a 330pf instead of the 100pf, absolutely perfect.
I couldn't ear any difference between J113 and J201 in mine. I used a 6k8 resistor for 4.48V at the drain
ReplyDeleteMaybe I had a defective J113 but the sound was awful..... I'll try with another J113 as soon as possible
ReplyDeleteIn my unit, with the J113 AND the 330pf cap it sounds infinetely better than with the J201. With J201 did sound quite right and with no fizz even with the 100pf cap, but with the J113 is just unveliable,
ReplyDeleteBR
Uhm, could my hi gain humbucker pick up be the culprit?
ReplyDeleteRob,
DeleteI'm a guitar tech, not an electronics wiz, so maybe I can come at it from a different angle to some of the other guys here. Bjorn Juhl is totally "old school" as far as I can see - all his pedals seem to excel at low to medium gain drive and have a classic "vintage" sound to them. Rather unsuprisingly they tend to work best with low gain pickups and low gain amps.
So in answer to your question, possibly yes. Have you got another guitar with low gain pickups you can try it with to see if things improve?
In my experience it is definitely true that some some pedals can sound amazing with one guitar, and absolutely awful with another.
Thank you for your explanation Beaker. Unfortunately I have only hi gain pickups on my guitars but I'll try again using the middle single coil PU (Dimarzio HS3). BTW I tried lowering the volume of the Tone Zone with the guitar's pot too but still the same. With the J201 it sounds good but I'd like to make it work with the J113 as JaviCAP said.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have no idea what this thing is giving me so much trouble. Anyway, some great progress has been made. I realized my bin of 180k resistors ACTUALLY held 180ohm resistors! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I swapped it for a proper 180k and the thing sprung to life. Its sounds really freaking good. But there is still one problem. Once the Fuzz control gets below half way, a strange high-pitch static/crackling sound begins to appear on top of the sound.
Any ideas as to what this could be? I'd love to get this thing working right. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
ok I made 2 of these today. The first nailed it even though I had to use a 2.2k resistor in place of the 9.1k to get my voltage down. The second one was farty. I went over it a few times checking every voltage and looking for cold solder joints or stray solder.....my conclusion, Fairchild JFets are not consistent. I swapped it out and bingo no more farty fizzy crap.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately no-ones JFETs are consistent. In fact in terms of tolerances they're utter shit, much worse than silicon BJTs and I actually think they're worse than 60-70 year old germanium technology. Hopefully they will improve in the near future so we can benefit from how good they can be without the hassle, although unfortunately there won't be any through-hole options and so we're all going to have to start soldering surface mount to benefit from the improvements.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey all, I just made this one and was wondering if I have to use the +LED connection on the board, I always wire my enclosures a certain way and don't need that one so will just see how it goes.
ReplyDeletethanks for the great layout!
All boxed up, I did not notice the other post about the LED connection, anyway...
ReplyDeleteNot all jfets were created equally! I went through 25 J113's and found one with drain voltage at 4.25v
and all the others tested from 3.77 - 4.22 so, I replaced the 9k1 with a trimmer, and have the drain at 4.5 volts... Fuzz is amazing sounding, however I notice with the fuzz pot turned down mid way it does some scrappy fizzy sound on the note decay or with guitar vol turned down...
Would that be an issue with the Jfets or should I just start swapping out some transistors???
I am using a BC550c... *note - fuzz at 100% it really is an amazing fuzz.... cleans up perfectly and the volume this thing puts out is stunning!
I build this, and it sounds awesome. BUT I have some hum. Could any of these be sources of the hum:
ReplyDelete1. I haven't boxed it yet, but all of my ground connections are good.
2. Both of my transistors are still sticking way out of the sockets. I haven't trimmed the legs yet. Could that produce hum?
3. The 9k2 resistor is now replaced with 1k8 to get the J113 to bias @ 4.5ish V. Why did mine have to go so low? Is this a symptom of a problem?
4. I used a BC550. Not BC550C.
5. I used a red superbright LED. It's not really a part of the clipping in this circuit, but thought I would mention it. Since I really want to fix this hum.
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!
Boxed it. Hum gone. Yay. Great sounding fuzz. I can now say that between my two Keeley 4-knobers and my Arctic White Fuzz, the $300 worth of electronics was worth it. Which also included the parts to build 12 more. But not enough enclosures...I hate boxing these things. I need a serious tutorial on that. I've tried several methods, but it always is a 3 hour chore, minimum. :-/
ReplyDeleteBeen enjoying this pedal. Now for some tweaking. I notice that the volume is simply a variable resistor into the output jack. I also notice the Fuzz is just a variable resistor on the input signal. I'm thinking I could put this in a bigger box with a second stomp switch, a second volume pot and a second fuzz pot. The stomp would simply A/B re-route the input to the "B" fuzz and at the same time re-route the output to the "B" volume. That way, you could dial in a bluesy fuzz on the A path, and an overdriven fuzz on the B path. Each would have it's own volume control, so you could get them to match levels if you want.
ReplyDeleteThe best part, it wouldn't sound like a "different" pedal when you go into overdrive, because it is going through the same circuit. This design really lends itself to this idea well, with the volume and fuzz pots on the outsides of the circuit.
Built but not boxed. I can hear the fuzz, but its not as strong as the 200-300 Hz hum...
ReplyDeletehttps://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18312787/pics/Photo%202013-11-23%2009%2059%2047.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18312787/pics/Photo%202013-11-23%2010%2000%2002.jpgD: 3.15
S: 2.26
G: 1.38
C: 1.38
B: 0.642
D: 0.120
Any ideas?
Went on to boxing it, and the humming dissapeared completly. There's some really fizzy sounds coming out though, will order a higher value cap for the 100pf. The voltage at D is now about 4 v, could that be a problem?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGreat sounding pedal initially got mine going with a J201 and 2N5088 too noisy then tried 2N5952 and 2N5088 same result ordered some J113's still waiting either jfet works with 2N5088 but not with BC550C just a crackling noise with BC550C put on thinking cap and tried a BS170 with BC550C what a great combo works and sounds awesome you have to twist legs on BS170 though bit of a pain but worth the effort................
ReplyDeleteAfter wiring the switch my circuit makes no sound whatsoever when engaged. Connections to and from the board are all okay, and the output isn't grounded. Might have fried something. Any clue what parts I should begin swapping?
ReplyDeleteD:3.2 S:3.2, G:3.9
C:3.8, B:0, E:0
hey built it up with sockets for the fet and tranny. didn't bother with the socket resistor or pot on the bias. I started out with the j113 and a 549c... it took about 4 fets to find the bias correct. I found it to be thick with not much change in tone control other than a more presence control sound. I found that the high E string was pretty thin and I adjusted the pick up a bit to see if it made a big difference. Not much. I swapped out the j113 for a j102 and the bias was high like all other comments here. I swapped out the 549c for a 2n5828 and the bias slapped back into line at 4.43v. I was going to take out teh bias resistor and put a socket or pot in but with this change the pedal sweetened up. Plenty of output volume on the pedal. Thick with really good tone across the full range. It can get very FF like but dialed back was a really nice overdrive . I liked it to the Skreddy Skrewdriver...
ReplyDelete@johannes I would check for bad solder joints and or solder drips as jumpers from row to row. Check cuts too to make sure there is no continuity. especially around D & S and B&E.. Follow your grounds and power supply voltages to make sure they are correctly placed
@johannes what is your supply voltage. which components are you using...
ReplyDeleteBuilt this up last night... it is pretty bright (with a Mustang RI), but it still sounds really good. Nice and fuzzy, without being zippery. I think it would sound even better with humbuckers. Thanks for another great layout Mark.
ReplyDeleteI built this and all was good, until i boxed it up. Sounded like crap, all splatty & such. Checked the voltage at the J113. and suddenly the voltage was way off. 2.3 volts or so. checked the whole build and components. Ended up removing the LED connection from the board and fixed it right up. Not sure why the LED was altering the voltage, but if you have problems try taking the LED connection off the board location.
ReplyDeleteLove this pedal but can't seem to make it work...
ReplyDeleteHave it boxed up already too (dumb!) I just can't seem to get enough guitarsignal in it. When I use a single coil, the fuzz is very farty and craps out almost immediately. When I max the fuzz it sounds ok-ish (as in: It doesn't feel like sucking custard through a string) but still very thin. Have to strum very hard. When using humbuckers the problem is a bit less, but still very farty. I have seen a few solutions above, but since I already boxed it.. can someone tell me what my problem most likely is?
The voltages are:
D 3.5
S 3.4
G 3.0
C 3.0
B 0.6
E 0.0
Ok, fixed the problem with the squeel by using dr. Iggy's sugestion., but still had the high notes-squeel, fizzyness.
DeleteRead John Kallas' solution for Javi and put in the 330pf ceramic instead of the 100pf.
It sounds a lot better now. A little less bottom end for my single coils, but very nice.
I am really loving this pedal. It has some serious cahoonas. It is a very easy and straight forward build. It fired up the very first time. Thank you for the layout.
ReplyDeleteHere is a picture of my build:
http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/denfox1/media/20150213_214314_zpsb7vu9tfi.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
Hello everybody! I've found in web some photo of the original PCB of the pedal. Seems that some components here in the "replica" layout are missing than original PCB. For exemple here in layout I don't see the 2 diodes in the original circuit.
ReplyDeleteBjorn always uses a zener diode as part of the LED circuit, I always omit it because it's unnecessary
DeleteI was having issues as described in the previous post with the gain acting up. I changed the 100pf ceramic to a 330pf and it totally fixed it. I recommend doing this right off the bat. I am really liking this pedal. Thank you for all of your help.
ReplyDeleteI am getting tons of noise and squealing. The fuzz pot is only usable in the middle third of its range without squealing. The volume squeals as it gets towards max volume. Tried 100pf and 330pf ceramic caps and it didn't change much.
ReplyDeleted .13
s .67
g 1.61
c 1.61
b 2.25
e 4.32
Any ideas?
Definitely something very wrong going by those voltages. The drain is connected to the 9V supply via a 9K1 resistor and you should be getting a lot more than 0.13V on that. A higher voltage on your emitter than your collector is also totally the opposite of what you should expect. Are you getting somewhere around 8V on the top lead of the 47K or 9K1?
DeleteOops I transposed the numbers when I wrote them down.
DeleteShould be:
d 4.32
s 2.25
g 1.61
c 1.61
b .67
e .13
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI pulled this circuit out of my "debug" drawer to fix up today. I love the layout and sound! My issue is that my tone pot also affects volume. Tone at 0 is almost silent. Tone at full is a huge boost (30dB or so). It's also affecting the tone (correctly), however. My wiring is correct, so it strikes me as a board issue. Any ideas? Thanks mates!
ReplyDeleteHELP! knocket this up last night as per the layout, double checked component values and checked for bridges, gave the board a clean and re flowed some joints. everything seems good. took voltages which seemed ok, the only one I can remember for sure is the Jfet is biased at 4.4 volts. Ive used a bc550 and a J113. my issue is a high pitched whine through the entire range of pots and gets louder with the volume pot. ill build another tonight and re check voltages on the trannies. has anyone any ideas what could cause this? I thought maybe interference so threw it in an old enclosure but the noise persists. bypass is fine and the effect sounds great. just the high squeal makes it unusable.
ReplyDeleteNOTE FOR ANYONE BUILDING THIS:
ReplyDeleteThis is a particularly sweet Fuzz Face type but it is also the absolute MOST particular about wiring and interference I have ever had to build for. I have built this 4 times now and every time it gives some noise issues on some settings (namely, with the volume and tone pots maxed while the fuzz pot is at most halfway up).
I will continue to build this for friends but I will do the following even before I bother to test it: use J113's ONLY, they're not expensive on eBay and it's so worth the headache of trying other ones out. The J113 works the BEST and it isn't nearly as accepting of other options as other pedals sometimes are. Second, forget the 100p capacitor entirely, it's guaranteed to give you fizz and awful tone as the commenters above. Simply add in another 220p cap in parallel or find a capacitor between 270-370p. It won't change the tone when it's good in any audible way but helps with fizz on some settings immensely. Lastly, once you have the pedal wired up, since nothing is connected to fuzz 1, the wire to fuzz 2 is under extremely high impedence from the 1M resistance between the input and the circuit, and is thus extremely microphonic in this setting. You need to make extra sure that the area around this wire is free from interference, preferably with shielded wire or maybe some aluminum foil grounded from the enclosure and avoiding running other wires parallel to it. My solution was extremely meticulously moving wires and the circuit itself until the noise is the weakest. Then, I added in some aluminum foil and secured it with electrical tape and glue so that it provided pressure on some components. You can tell if this is an issue if the noise changes when you ground yourself and move your finger close to the circuit or touch the components of it. Hopefully this helps others who want to build this. It's worth the time fiddling with it for the tone you get.
I am convinced that the people that had success with this layout didn’t use the on-board LED. Having it on there ruins the pedal. I figured it out finally after several years of this build collecting dust. Powering the led from a different rail fixes the gated, farty issue. FYI . In my opinion, the led should be removed from this layout.
ReplyDeleteI built this but have a significant amount of hiss when engaged. When the guitar is turned down or when the input is removed. So it is not external to the effect.
ReplyDeleteAnyone have the hiss in their builds? or had it and found out where it is coming from?